WINGS CLIPPED

The gap between them in the standings was as wide as the Grand Canyon.
On the ice Friday night, though, it was a different story.
The Flames scored three-straight goals to round out the third period as The Comeback Kids did it again, beating the Detroit Red Wings 6-4 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Heading into the tilt, Calgary - of course - were perched atop the Western Conference and sitting second overall in the NHL behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Detroit, on the other hand, was waaaaaaaay down in 28th spot.
But the Red Wings came out flying, giving the Flames everything they could handle as the two teams combined for 71 shots.
The Wings led 4-3 with just over 11 minutes to play before the hometown heroics unfolded.
Mark Giordano, Sam Bennett - with his second of the night and the game-winner - and TJ Brodie into an empty-net secured another two points for the Flames, who got back in the win column after falling 4-3 in overtime to Buffalo in the fourth tilt of this five-game homestand Wednesday night.
Sean Monahan and James Neal also scored for Calgary, while Mike Smith made 31 saves.
Dylan Larkin had two goals for Detroit, with Anthony Mantha and Mike Green also tallying.
"It's a great feeling, no matter what the score is in the game to have confidence in our group to be able to come back," said Bennett. "Obviously it's not the position we want to be in as often as we are but to know we're never out of it is a great feeling."
Four times in the game the Red Wings took the lead but the Flames always had an answer.
"That's tough," said Bennett. "Most of the time that deflates you when that keeps happening but our team, we never sagged, we never got down on each other, (or) frustrated. (We) just kept sticking with it and that's the mentality you have to have."

With both Brodie and Giordano in the box as the first period wound down, the Red Wings made good on their 56 seconds of 5-on-3, with Mantha snapping a long-distance wrister that snuck by Smith with 59 seconds to play in the opening stanza.
But with Calgary boy Green serving a crosschecking minor, the Flames tied the game up at the 7:58 mark of the second period.
Bennett fed the puck to Rasmus Andersson, who let a point blast go that Jimmy Howard saved, the rebound landing on the stick of Brodie who got off another shot, Howard making the stop but the juicy rebound went off Neal's skate and right to Bennett at the side of the net who put home his eighth of the season.
Larkin put his team back ahead with a solid individual effort, getting the puck beside the net and skating out to the right faceoff circle, before turning and firing a shot that beat Smith high, short-side.
That lead was short-lived, however.
Less than a minute-and-a-half later - after a botched breakout by the Red Wings in their zone - Johnny Gaudreau threaded a pass to Monahan who was right on top of the blue paint and showed off his greats hands by tipping the puck up-and-over Howard's shoulder.
The assist extended Gaudreau's current point streak to 10 games (9-11+20), tying his previous career high. He now has 27 points in 17 games against Eastern Conference opponents this season.

Just under five minutes into the third, Green put Detroit up 3-2 after he skated the puck in from the point and beat Smith.
But then Neal tipped a Rasmus Andersson point shot five-hole on Howard with six seconds left in a powerplay to knot things up at 7:34.
Again, it was short-lived.
Sixty-one seconds later, Larkin sprung Gustav Nyquist on a partial breakway but after he lost the handle before he could shoot, he got the puck back and spun and fired a pass through the slot that Larkin stepped into it to put it in an open cage with Smith out of position.
With 5:57 left, Giordano's shorthanded goal began the Flames run that put the game in the bag.

UP NEXT:

The Flames hopped a plane after tonight's tilt, heading up to Edmonton where they will face the Oilers Saturday night in the second game of the Hockey Night in Canada slate (8 p.m., TV: HNIC, Radio: Sportsnet960 THE FAN).